Hama Rashid revolt

Hama Rashid revolt
	Part of Kurdish separatism in Iran
Date	Autumn 1941-1944
Location	Baneh-Sardasht region of Iran
Result	Iranian victory: Hama Rashid driven into Iraq;
Belligerents
Kurdish tribesmen	Iran Pahlavis;
Commanders and leaders
Hama (Muhammad) Rashid	Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mahmud Kanisanan;

The Hama Rashid revolt (Persian: شورش حمه رشید) was a tribal uprising in Pahlavi Iran, during the Second World War, following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran.[1] The tribal revolt erupted in the general atmosphere of anarchy throughout Iran and its main faction was led by Muhammed Rashid, lasting from late 1941 until April 1942 and then re-erupted in 1944, resulting in Rashid's defeat.

Background

Kurdish tribal unrest began in modern Iran, right with the ascendance of the Pahlavi dynasty, erupting into bloody violence with the Simko Shikak revolt in 1920, and continuing with further Kurdish tribal revolts in 1926 and 1931.

With the general instability in Iran during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the British were approached by the tribal leader of Baneh Hama Rashid and by a Mahabad leader Qazi Muhammad, in order to obtain protection.[2] The delegation of chieftains arrived in Baghdad, requesting to include their areas in the "British zone", but were refused.[1]

At the time, Tehran was desperate to prevent Kurdish secession, sending a government commission into Kurdistan in November 1941. It convened local Kurdish tribal leaders, promising cultural freedom in line with the right to bear arms, in return for loyalty to the Iranian government.[2] The tribes had however enjoyed those privileges from the time of the deposition of Reza Shah two months earlier, thus rejecting the Iranian offer.[2] To satisfy themselves, the tribal leaders also demanded assurances to return confiscated lands and employment of tribal leaders and their representatives in Tehran.[2] Indeed, some eight months later, a Tribal Commission was established in Tehran to investigate Kurdish land complaints. In the meantime however, the tribes aspired to install a new order, before a significant Allied intervention changes the situation and fills the power vacuum.

Just prior to the entrance of Soviet troops into Urmiyeh, a local bazaar was set in fire, also picking up large stockpiles of weapons, left behind by fleeing Iranian soldiery.[2] Further south, the areas of Sanandaj and Kermanshah fell into disorder and by the end of the year raids by armed Kurdish tribesmen reached as far as Tabriz.[2] In January 1942, relations between Azeris, Kurds and Christians in Urmiyeh turned strained, with Kurds and Christian Armenians and Assyrians forming a joint Liberation party. The joint forces raided Azeri villages. In April 1942, renewed tribal disorder in the area, prompted Iranian government to arm Shia peasants, but on the other hand removed gendarmerie forces from lands between Khoi and Mahabad to satisfy demands.

First conflict phase

Meanwhile, through the final months of 1941 in central Kurdistan, Hama Rashid seized Baneh and had set up his own administration.[2] With an aid of a number of followers, he executed his authority in the Baneh-Sardasht region.[1] At the time, despite his involvement in the death of a senior Iranian officer, and being regarded as a rebel, Iran was too weak to subdue him.[1] Iran acknowledged his authority and made him a sort of a Governor of the region.[1] By December he was already threatening to seize Sanandaj and was only convinced to refrain from action by a British threat. In February 1942, Rashid's forces seized Saqqiz, but were driven out of there in April.[2]

In early autumn of 1942, Hama Rashid agreed to become a semi-official governor under Tehran authority as a local office, but according to a British report Neither side would hesitate to abandon this relationship, if it could find something more attractive.[2] About the same time, the Iranian government also recognized another Kurdish leader - Mahmud Kanisenan as a semi-autonomous governor over the Mariwan region.[1]

Second conflict phase

According to McDawall, in 1944, the relationship between Hama Rashid and Iranian authorities was broken.[2] Jwaideh puts the beginning of the second phase to summer of 1942.[1] In any case, Rashid attacked Mariwan territories of his neighbour Mahmud Khan Kanisanan - an appointed Iranian governor as well.[2] Mahmud Khan requested an assistance from Tehran and aided by two Iranian columns supported by light tanks, he managed to defeat Hama Rashid's forces.[1] Iranian forces who rushed to rescue Mahmud Khan, managed to drive Hama Rashid into Iraqi Kingdom.[1][2] During the retreat Rashid had however succeeded to burn some 1,000 houses in Baneh.[2] Shortly after, also Mahmud Khan himself was driven out into Iraq as well by the same Iranian forces, seeking to get rid of Kurdish semi-autonomous authority in the region.[1]

Aftermath

As a result of the above described actions, by 1945 the government of Iran effectively controlled Kurdish areas south of Saqqiz-Baneh-Sardasht line.[1] However, the government was still not able to establish authority north to it up to the Soviet zone. It was Mahabad, located in those areas, where the most important Kurdish political developments were to be initiated shortly after the uprising of Hama Rashid.[3] The Iran crisis of 1946 took shape, seeking to establish Azeri and Kurdish states with Soviet support. Hama Rashid and his forces took an important role in this next chapter of violence.[4]

Foreign reactions

The United Kingdom opposed any kind of autonomy or independence for Iranian Kurds, which in their opinion would prompt a similar demand from the Arabs of Khuzestan and perhaps other ethnic groups,[2] especially Iraqi tribes and most notably the Kurds of Iraq.[2] Britain acted to ease ethnic and tribal tensions within Iran and told Tehran to settle Kurdish demands, reinstate tribal leaders and permit tribal migration as long as it did not breach peace.[2] It was initially assumed that Russians might assist Kurdish independence movement, but their policies quickly demonstrated those hopes were misplaced.[1]

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References

Jwaideh, Wadie (19 June 2006). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-8156-3093-7.
McDawall, D. A Modern History of the Kurds: Third Edition:p.232-4. 2004.
Jwaideh, Wadie (2006)pp. 245–246
Vali, A. Kurds and the State in Iran: The Making of Kurdish Identity: p.80.

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[:0-1] Jwaideh, Wadie (19 June 2006). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-8156-3093-7.

[b-2] McDawall, D. A Modern History of the Kurds: Third Edition:p.232-4. 2004.

[3] Jwaideh, Wadie (2006)pp. 245–246

[4] Vali, A. Kurds and the State in Iran: The Making of Kurdish Identity: p.80.

List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
1910s	World War I Middle Eastern theatre Arab Revolt Armenian Genocide Assyrian genocide Mount Lebanon starvation Unification of Saudi Arabia Simko Shikak revolt Egyptian revolution of 1919 Turkish War of Independence Greco-Turkish War Turkish–Armenian War Franco-Turkish War Revolts Mahmud Barzanji revolts
1920s	Franco-Syrian War Iraqi revolt against the British Sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine Adwan Rebellion Arab separatism in Khuzestan Great Syrian Revolt Sheikh Said rebellion
1930s	Ararat rebellion Ahmed Barzani revolt Simele massacre Saudi–Yemeni War (1934) Goharshad Mosque rebellion 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts 1935 Yazidi revolt Dersim rebellion
1940s	World War II Italian bombing of Palestine Anglo-Iraqi War Syria–Lebanon Campaign Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran 1943 Barzani revolt Alwaziri coup Al-Wathbah uprising Kurdish separatism in Iran Iran crisis of 1946 Arab–Israeli conflict 1948 Arab–Israeli War
1950s	1952 Egyptian coup d'état 1953 Iranian coup d'état Jebel Akhdar War Cyprus Emergency Suez Crisis Yemeni–Adenese clan violence 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Iraqi revolution 1959 Mosul uprising
1960s	Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict First Iraqi–Kurdish War Dhofar Rebellion North Yemen Civil War Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup Mar. 1963 Syrian coup Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup Aden Emergency 1964 Hama riot Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1966 Syrian coup d'état
1970s	Black September in Jordan Yemenite War of 1972 Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shatt al-Arab clashes Lebanese Civil War Political violence in Turkey Islamist uprising in Syria NDF Rebellion Yemenite War of 1979 Iranian Revolution Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution 1979 Qatif Uprising Grand Mosque seizure 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
1980s	Iran–Iraq War 1980 Turkish coup d'état Kurdish separatism in Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict South Yemen Civil War 1986 Egyptian conscripts riot 1986 Damascus bombings Mecca massacre Abu Nidal's executions
1990s	Gulf War (1990–1991) 1991 uprisings in Iraq Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s) Yemeni Civil War (1994) Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present) Operation Desert Fox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq
2000s	Iraq War Balochi insurgency in Iran 2004 Qamishli riots Houthi insurgency in Yemen Iran–Israel proxy conflict 2006 Lebanon War Fatah–Hamas conflict South Yemen insurgency
2010s	Bahraini uprising of 2011 Egyptian Crisis Sinai insurgency Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) Syrian Civil War Turkish involvement in Syria Syrian War spillover in Lebanon Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Iraqi insurgency (2017–present) Yemeni Crisis Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
This list includes WWI and later conflicts (after 1914) of at least 100 fatalities each Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic and conflict with +100,000 killed with bold.